The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention.
Concrete anchors are extensively used in the construction industry. Their applications range from erecting permanent objects such as sign poles, direction signs, lighting poles etc., to temporary support structures. Several destructive testing equipment exist in the market which can be used to evaluate the load carrying capacity of concrete anchors. However, as recognized by the present inventor no non-destructive testing method has been proposed which can give estimation about their load carrying capacity.
Specifically, anchor bolts are excessively used in the construction industry these days. Applications range from using these bolts for installation of permanent fixtures such as sign boards, light posts to smaller temporary fixes such as installation of shuttering and netting, etc.
In construction technology, pull-out testing generally establishes the holding force of anchors and fixings in most construction materials, such as concrete. In conventional pull-out testing of anchor bolts/bars require applying a specific tensile load to an anchor bolt/bar in order that the anchor bolt/bar can sustain such a test condition for a period of time. Deformation of the anchor tested can also be measured to understand the relationship between force and displacement during testing.
Nondestructive testing or non-destructive testing (NDT) is a wide group of analysis techniques used in science and industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component or system without causing damage.
Concrete anchors are used in construction industry for a variety of objectives. These objectives range from installing permanent objects to temporary quick fix solutions. Concrete anchors come in various sizes and shapes. The selection of a suitable anchor for a particular job depends on a variety of factors such as material for installation, required load carrying capacity, nature of job, environmental conditions, and availability of skilled labor. For large capacity anchors, pre-construction installation is preferred, however for the majority of cases post-construction installation is suitable.
Further, the time, effort, cost, and equipment needed to conduct conventional pull-out testing can be extensive and tedious, requiring skilled labor, a linear variable displacement transducer (LVDT), a data acquisition system, and hydraulic pumps with pressure gauges. Conventional material testing and quality assurance may play a pivotal role in every major construction project. Currently, for large scale projects an on-site material testing and quality assurance lab may be established. Hence, quick, reliable and effective methods and apparatuses are preferred to achieve the quantitative analysis of material strength fixed to ground.